


Dancing near the flame

by NightsMistress



Category: Final Fantasy XIII-2
Genre: Dancing, Getting Together, Multi, Requited Love, Seduction by Dance, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:47:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26312866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightsMistress/pseuds/NightsMistress
Summary: Noel didn't think he had a chance. Serah and Snow think differently and take matters into their own hands, one step at a time.
Relationships: Serah Farron/Noel Kreiss/Snow Villiers
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7
Collections: Fandom Giftbox 2020





	Dancing near the flame

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TereziMakara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TereziMakara/gifts).



Oerba at night was unsettlingly silent, without even the sound of the wind through the dunes suggesting that there was something else out there. Noel had grown up at the end of the world, where dust choked the sky as humanity died out, and even then there were the sounds of animals. Oerba in this version of 150AF was cut off from time and space, accessible only by a paradox drive, and was a dead husk of a place. He shuddered, filled two buckets of water from the shallow stream at his feet, and headed back toward their camp for the night.

Their fire burned bright against the starless sky, a guiding light to bring him home. He could see shadows moving against the fire, and assumed that Serah and Snow were setting up the camp. It was something that he and Serah had done a lot during their travels, and Snow had picked up the rhythm of their preparations as if he had always been there. Noel picked up the pace, as they'd need the water he was carrying sooner rather than later.

It was only when he got closer that he could see that Serah and Snow weren't preparing the camp, but were dancing. Snow's hand was on the small of Serah's back to draw her close, Serah's hand rested on Snow's shoulders, and the two of them gazed into each other's eyes as they stepped with practiced grace around the fire. Noel didn't recognise the dance, but he didn't need to know it to feel the emotional charge in their movements. 

He stood, frozen in place, and wasn't sure whether he wished he were Serah or Snow. The thought of Snow's hand against the small of his back drawing their bodies together and Serah's hand on his shoulder as she leaned against his chest made him swallow. He'd been jealous in the past of Caius and Yeul's exchanged looks with millennia of shared secrets behind them, but that jealousy hadn't been infused with the longing for someone to touch him, skin against skin. The need to be touched was terrible, because every time that Serah or Snow touched him a little too long, he needed more of it. At one point, he'd even convinced himself that their touching him was intentional, and an invitation to do more and be more to them.

Noel shook his head. He needed to quickly get over that ridiculous, hopeless dream, and be realistic. Serah and Snow were in love; that much was clear to anyone who had eyes. He needed to be a better friend to them both, and stop wishing that there was space in their relationship for a third. They had offered a place in their home for him, but as much as he wished that it meant something more, even he knew that it was just a friendly gesture. He needed to stop reading too much into things.

He cleared his throat as he passed Snow's motorbike. Serah and Snow stopped dancing, but remained intertwined.

"You two look like you're having fun," he said. "Got space for a third?"

He had been joking. He thought that was obvious; even he knew that you didn't break up a couple dancing, and he was the last child born to humanity. He had expected the answer to be no, and had braced for the sting of rejection by making it a joke. He had thought that Serah and Snow even knew it was a joke from Serah's mischievous half-smile and Snow's stepping back from her with a slight flourish of his hands.

Noel was therefore caught completely flat-footed when Serah said easily, "Sure."

"Uh," he managed. "I don't know how to dance."

"You're coordinated and have a good sense of rhythm," Serah said. " You'll learn fast."

"And she's a good teacher," Snow chimed in.

Noel didn't become a hunter by being afraid to act when a moment presented itself, even if he could regret it later. He would definitely regret this moment later, when he was in his bedroll alone, but that was later. He would deal with that then. This was now, and he was not going to waste his moment.

He put the buckets down by the fire and shook out the kinks from his shoulders.

"All right," he said, trying not to sound too eager. "Where do we begin?"

"I think you two should dance together first," Serah said firmly. "Then I'll know how good you are."

"Yeah?" Snow said. "All right."

"I guess that makes sense," Noel said, not actually sure that it did at all.

"Just follow my lead," Snow said. "I'll look after you."

Noel was going to retort that he didn't need Snow to look after him, but then Snow rested his hand against Noel's back. Snow's hand was larger than Noel had expected when it was splayed against him, warm and heavy as it drew him closer to Snow, and Noel lost his train of thought. He hadn't realised how big Snow was, despite seeing him all the time. Seeing was different to feeling, after all. Noel reached up Snow's back to put his hands on Snow's shoulders, and was rewarded by Snow's hum of approval.

"All right, Snow," he said once he thought he could look at Snow directly without flushing or looking away. "What's next?"

The next step -- or steps -- were about learning to move with Snow, rather than around him. He could feel Snow's strength in how he held him close, feet stepping around Noel's with nimble, virile grace. Dancing with Snow was like fighting; each step building on the other in synergy rather than synchronicity. Once Noel grasped that, it was easy to predict where Snow's feet would be. Back and forth, left and right, each movement was a matter of knowing Snow's body as well as Noel knew his own, and Noel had spent enough time watching Snow to be able to do that. 

They eased to a rest to catch their breath when Serah clapped. She looked at the two of them in unabashed delight, hands clasped together tightly.

"That was great," she said. "I can definitely see what I'm working with here. Good work, you two!"

"Not a problem, babe," Snow said, giving her a thumbs up and a grin. His other hand remained on the small of Noel's back, resting without placing any pressure on him. It was aggravating, because Noel wanted to lean into it. He thought for a moment that Snow was doing this to tease him, but discarded the thought; Snow was not that subtle. He likely didn't even notice he was doing it.

"You think you can do something with this?" Noel asked. 

"Oh yes," Serah said. "We'll just start off nice and slow."

Snow stepped away, his hand lingering for a moment longer, before Serah stepped into the gap he left behind. Noel put his hand on her back but let it skim her clothes rather than touch her. Serah stepped closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You can touch me," she said, placing her other hand on top of Noel's and pressing it against her back. 

Noel's breath caught in his throat. 

"I promise I won't break," she said, keeping her hand there.

"I know that," he said. "You're the strongest person I know."

"Damn straight she is," Snow said. "Now get a move on, you two! We don't have all night."

He had always thought that fighting with Serah was like a dance. As it turned out, the opposite was true as well. Unlike with Snow, he didn't need to learn how she would move; she danced like she fought and he knew that like the back of his hand. She was faster than Snow, more precise and nimble and also a lot more daring. She swung out and he pulled her in, she twirled and he was her axis. Snow had stayed close to Noel, while Serah darted in and out. It really was like fighting, and that startled a laugh out of him as Serah twirled into his chest to rest there lightly.

"There we go," Snow said. "You were so serious earlier!"

"I'm learning something new," Noel said, but without heat. Serah resting against his chest was very distracting. 

"You know, Snow and I met dancing," Serah said dreamily. "I always said I couldn't date anyone until I knew how we danced together."

"Yeah? I can see that," Noel said, wondering why she was telling him this in the first place. He forced a smile. "You two are good."

"You two look good together as well," Snow said with an earnestness that was as inexplicable as it was heartfelt. 

"Same with you two," Serah said slyly. "We should do it more often."

Noel wondered whether he was misreading the situation. It didn't seem that this was a dancing lesson for a friend, but he didn't want to hope it was something more in case he was reading too much into it. 

He looked down at Serah, up at Snow, before stepping away gently. He then folded his arms and asked, as neutrally as he could, "What's going on?"

Serah and Snow exchanged looks.

"I did say this wouldn't work," Snow said. 

"I know," Serah said. "But I wanted to try it this way first."

"I don't know why. He kinda missed all the other hints you gave him."

Noel froze. "Sorry, what are you talking about?"

"I really thought he'd pick up on it when I asked him to stay with us!" Serah protested. "I just didn't want to pressure him."

"You're giving him too much credit," Snow said. Noel was annoyed without really knowing why. It was just the principle of the matter at this point. Snow then turned to Noel.

"Let me put it to you straight. We like you and want to be in a relationship with you. What do you think?"

Suddenly, things made a lot more sense. He had genuinely thought that when Serah and Snow suggested that he should live with them that it was as a friend, one who would have no place in time to live once they undid the future he came from. He had thought they had genuinely not realised that they were inviting him into their marital home, that Serah was misspeaking when she said that he'd always have somewhere to stay. 

Noel shook his head ruefully. He really needed to trust his instincts more often.

"Is that why you were teaching me to dance?" he asked.

"I had hoped you'd work it out?" Serah said. "I might not have thought it all the way through."

It was comforting to know that Serah at least was as much as a loss than he was.

"Oh." 

"I didn't think you would," Snow said. Noel turned to him and Snow put his hands up. "No harm meant! Serah's just smarter than both of us."

"True," Noel agreed ruefully. "Though how I was meant to work it out, I don't know. You two are engaged."

"We are," Snow agreed. "But that doesn't mean there's no space for you. We discussed it. Or, really, Serah suggested it and I agreed."

"If you're not interested, that's fine," Serah said. She caught her fingers together and twisted them. "We just thought we should offer."

"No, it's fine," Noel said. "I'm interested."

"Great!" Snow said, clapping his hands together. "Now, that's out of the way, let's start again." He and Serah both reached out their hands to Noel. Noel took both and waited for the next step.


End file.
